Skip to main content

Board selected for Hillsboro Uptown Renaissance Project

By
-
Submitted by Pamela Hastings

Future board members of the newly formed Hillsboro Uptown Renaissance Project met recently to discuss the organization and future plans of the non-profit group created to help promote economic and cultural growth in Uptown Hillsboro.

Board members, elected at the organizational meeting to serve staggered terms, are Andrew Cimis, Janet Butler, Sue Davis, Elena Zint, Pamela Hastings and Drew Hastings.

The Hillsboro Uptown Renaissance Project, informally named the “Renaissance Project,” has been created as an “umbrella” non-profit organization to include a variety of projects that meet the criteria of the group.

The initial revitalization project to be undertaken will be the preservation and future renovation of Bells Opera House. Due to its central location in Uptown Hillsboro, the former Opera House is seen as a key focal point to Uptown revitalization and the home for a future multi-purpose facility and performance center to serve today’s community needs. This landmark building, listed on the National Historic Register, was a point of pride for the Hillsboro community for many years.

The long-term goal of the Renaissance Project is not only the restoration and preservation of this building but also other buildings within the Uptown Historic District and other projects to stimulate economic and cultural growth in the city.

Recent Grants made to the Bells Opera House Project in the amount of $250,000 were the combined efforts of local and state governments working with the building owners.

Providing valuable assistance in moving this project forward has been: Representatives of the Ohio Department of Development and the Ohio Historical Preservation Office; Hillsboro Mayor Richard Zink; Grants Coordinator and Economic Development Revolving Loan Administrator Peg Beekman; City of Hillsboro’s Revolving Loan Board; and Pamela and Drew Hastings.

The grants are for weatherization and stabilization of the building structure to stop further deterioration, especially at the upper levels. Work is currently scheduled to start sometime in March 2011. Future plans will include the pursuit of additional grants and federal and historic tax credits and a variety of fundraising activities in the local community.[[In-content Ad]]

Add new comment

This is not for publication.
This is not for publication.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it. Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number and email address is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.
CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.